The Queen of the Vespiforms
by dragonwings948
Summary: The Vespiforms have identified Jackie Tyler as their Queen, but the Doctor doesn't believe it for one second. He and Rose launch an investigation to find the real Queen, but something's itching in the back of his mind. None of it feels right. Yet the evidence leads to an enemy the Doctor knows all too well. Sequel to "A Little Bit of Human." Copyright to the BBC.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Here is the shiny new story, as promised. However, I regret that I probably won't update as often because this is the first story I don't have already written out. Not to worry, I will update whenever I can. Also, if you didn't catch it, I updated my previous story and added a prologue that is essential to the storyline that continues through this story and those to come. In other words, go read it! And also, check out my bio. I have a blog! As always, review, follow, and favorite please! :) Okay, I'll shut up now. **

In a dark corner of a cell, in a dark corner of a spaceship, in a dark corner of the universe, there sat a petite, shivering form. How long she had been there, she didn't know. One moment she had been lying peacefully in her bed, and then in the next moment, she had found herself inside this cell. Her cloak and robes had all been stripped off of her, leaving her with hardly anything to cover her sensitive skin.

The Queen of the Vespiforms hugged herself tighter as another shiver rocked her body. She closed her eyes and focused her mind, concentrating on transforming. However, like all her previous attempts, nothing happened. Could it be that her ability to morph into other creatures had died away like the rest of her race, or was it something about this cell? Or even this ship?

Her thoughts drifted back to her people, like they always did. She feared what her planet would become with the Commander in control as Supreme Chancellor. She had never liked his brutal ways, but she had had as much choice in selecting her second-in-command as she did in becoming Queen; none. The Vespiform ways were traditional, and traditional they would stay.

Surely her people were looking for her, but she knew they would never find her. She was meant to be found by one person alone; this "Doctor" which she had overheard her captor talking about. It was all a trap for him, though how she was involved, she didn't know. How could she draw the attention of a man she had never met?

Apparently this Doctor had outwitted her captor before. Would he do so again? Would he save her?

The Queen clasped both pairs of her hands in front of her and closed her eyes, whispering into the stale air of her cell, "Please, Doctor. _Please." _


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: A long chapter, just for you, my faithful readers. :)**

Rose Tyler drummed her fingers on the TARDIS console, racking her brains and pushing through waking-up-drowsiness. He hadn't been in the library, kitchen, or his room, the normal getaways...

She thought through her life with the Doctor in the other universe. There were only certain places that he went to think or be alone, and she had exhausted all of them. There had to be another place she was missing.

Ah! She snapped her head up and nodded as she recalled one place she hadn't checked yet. Though it was a rarer escape for the Doctor, _her _Doctor was new and different, and she wasn't used to his TARDIS habits yet.

"Can you show me where the pool is?" Rose asked the TARDIS. She knew the temperamental time and space machine well enough to know not to ask it to make rooms appear at her whim; though the TARDIS had been happy enough to help Rose last night, she knew the ship didn't like to be told what to do.

A map of the TARDIS interior appeared on the console's monitor with one room glowing a bright red. Rose memorized the way easily enough and patted the console with a smile. Instead of taking the center hallway to her room, she took the left one and opened the first set of double doors on her right. An Olympic-size swimming pool dominated the entire room, its translucent water rippling slightly.

Rose stepped forward onto white concrete and peered into the pool to see the Doctor's slim figure swimming in the opposite direction. The Doctor surfaced at the other end of the pool, shaking his head and flinging water droplets in all directions. He ran a hand through his hair, and finally looked in Rose's direction.

"Rose!" His exclamation echoed endlessly throughout the room. With a clean dive he was back in the water, racing towards her. His head popped up beneath her soon enough, splashing her feet with ice cold water. She giggled and jumped out of the way, sitting down at the edge of the pool and letting her legs dangle off in the water.

"Care to join me?" he asked, water dripping at a constant rate from his drooping hair. He heaved himself halfway out of the water and crossed his arms on top of Rose's knees, grinning his biggest.

Rose felt warmth creeping into her cheeks as she realized he was shirtless, though wearing a pair of swimming trunks. His skin was so pale that it was almost white, though whether the water or the lighting had an effect on that, she wasn't sure. She couldn't help but noticing that every muscle she could see seemed to be perfectly toned; not buff, but not scrawny in the slightest.

"What?" The Doctor looked down at his arm and poked at nonexistent flab. "Is it that bad?"

Rose shook her head and forced herself to focus on his face. "No, just thinking...shouldn't we be on our way to the Vespiform's planet?"  
His smile was unwavering. "Time machine. We can be there whenever we want."

"Yeah I know, but..." Rose bit her lip. "I don't like not being there with my family. What if they find out that Mum's really not the Queen?"

"They won't," he assured her in a gentle voice. He began to slip away from her and quickly readjusted his grip. "We haven't left yet because I've been thinking."

She couldn't stop a smile from peeking through. "When aren't you?"

"Right. But I mean something specific this time. Why was it your mum that got picked? Out of the millions of females on planet Earth, it had to be your mum. Why?"

Rose hadn't really considered this before. To be fair, however, there hadn't been much time for her to think. She needed several hours more sleep than the Doctor did.

"I dunno, just chance?"

His gaze turned a little lighter than it had been a moment before. "Chance. You know, I don't think I believe in chance. Chance, luck, fate; I've had too much in one lifetime for it to be random."

"You told me you kissed up to Fortuna once."

His eyes shone with mirth. "Ah, yes. That was back in my fourth regeneration. 'Spose that could be part of it." He lifted his body up out of the water even further, bringing his head closer to Rose's as his smile faded. "But why _your _mum? Someone we're connected to. Someone we would do anything to protect."

Rose backed away an inch as what he was saying sunk in. "You're not saying that all this is because of _us?" _

He sighed as he slid back into the water, his head bobbing above the surface. "I don't know. But I don't like it."

"You were jumping at the chance yesterday," she said, recalling how excited he had been to see new life forms, and soon, a new planet.

"Oh no." A smile crept onto his face again. "I wouldn't miss the chance to go to that planet in a million years! It's the missing Queen part I don't like. I still need to think it through, though. Library was too quiet, my room was too familiar, so I came here! Turns out I still enjoy swimming." He stretched out on his back and smiled. "So, join me?"

After waking up no more than ten minutes ago, Rose wasn't in the mood to go change and get completely wet. "I'll just watch."

The Doctor sighed sadly and shook his head as he approached her again. "Well, you leave me no choice."

Rose pulled her feet out of the water quickly, knowing what the Doctor had in mind by the mischievous grin on his face. She smirked at him as she jumped up out of his reach. "Not today, Doctor."

He surprised her by continuing his pursuit and hoisting himself out of the water and onto the concrete. Rose ran to the other side of the pool as he climbed, careful not to slip.

"It's just water," he called, his body sopping wet. "I'm starting to think you're avoiding me on purpose."

No way was he going to win by appealing to her compassion. She ran around to the long side of the pool across from the Doctor. As soon as he saw her position he jumped into the pool, cutting through the water as though he belonged there. Rose continued to run along the side, but the Doctor was quicker. As soon as she thought she had escaped, wet palms grasped her ankles. She stopped in her tracks, as the grip was unrelenting. The Doctor grinned up at her.

"Gotcha." Not releasing his hold on her, he climbed onto the concrete and quickly wrapped his arms around Rose's middle, pressing her against his dripping chest.

Rose rolled her eyes as water seeped through her shirt and shorts. "All right, you've had your fun."

"Nope. Not yet!" He hoisted her over his shoulder with a chuckle as she squealed.

"Put me down!" she demanded, pounding on his back with her fists.

"Right, then! Down you go!" With another laugh he threw her straight into the freezing water onto her back. However, she had barely gone under when the Doctor's arms were supporting her back.

"See? Nice, isn't it?"

Rose sputtered and smacked his chest. "You stupid alien!" But she probably wasn't doing a good job at pretending to be mad at him, because she loved the way he was cradling her and how her head was resting over his heart.

Sure enough, he saw straight through it. "I love you too," he murmured. "And you think _I'm _bad in the mornings."

"At least Idon't make cheap shots about humans, even though I am one." She could feel her breaths grow a little shorter as she wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his smooth skin underneath her fingers.

"Half human." He let go of Rose and she floated gently onto her feet. He then leaned over and pressed his cheek against Rose's, his lips close by her ear. "The time lord half can hear your heart speeding up."

She wrapped her arms tighter around him as he nuzzled her cheek with his prickly counterpart. "I think you need to shave, mister," Rose remarked none too quietly.

"What, you don't like it?"

"No, it's not you. I like my doctors clean-shaven," she whispered with a smile.

"That can be arranged." He then began to kiss the side of her head, beginning with her ear and then every space on that side he could reach. His arms snaked around her and held her close in a vice-like grip.

Rose took the opportunity to release his waist and memorize what his arms felt like. His muscles hardened as she gripped his forearm and she smiled, running her fingertips gently over his strong and capable arms.

"I never knew you were this strong underneath your suit."

He shrugged. "I went to the gym when I lived in Scotland."

Rose tried to imagine the Doctor working out with weights and treadmills, but she couldn't. It was too normal for him. Even just the idea of it made Rose giggle.

"What? There's nothing wrong with that!" He flexed his muscles again, as if emphasizing his point.

"No," Rose said with a laugh, "it's just you, in a gym, lifting weights and stuff...I can't picture it!"

"I'll have you know, I lived a very _human _life." He pulled away from her to look her in the eye with a small smile.

"You keep saying human like it's a bad thing." She cocked an eyebrow at him, returning his smile.

His voice was suddenly very soft, his gentle brown eyes boring into her. "It's not all bad." He closed the distance between them and kissed her, wet lips and all.

It didn't matter that they were in the shallow end of the TARDIS pool, or that they were both thoroughly soaked. It didn't matter how many planets they had to save or evil plots they had to uncover; the world could wait for the Doctor and Rose. For far too long they had been separated from each other, and it was only fair that they attempt to make up for every moment lost.

Rose looped her arms around the Doctor's neck and leaned into the kiss, threading her fingers through his hair. The Doctor began to relent and pull away after a few moments, but Rose pushed his head right back down and their lips met again.

But they had to stop some time, and in the end it was Rose who separated their lips, though she couldn't move back much at all because of the Doctor's grip and the concrete wall at her back. It occurred to her then that they must have moved, and she hadn't even noticed.

The Doctor must have realized that he was practically crushing her against him, because he released her, his lips curved in a smile and his eyes alight with love. "Blimey, Rose Tyler, the things you do to me. Sometimes I think you're bent on breaking my poor human body."

She stepped closer to him again and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. "I don't think you'd mind if I did."

He returned a kiss of his own, though much longer. "Definitely not," he murmured as he pulled away. He sighed and looked past her, probably at the door. "Well, I suppose we have to keep going, then?"

Rose smiled and grabbed him in a hug, his reluctance giving her pleasure. "As much as I would love to stay in here with you all day-"

"-which we could, because we're in a time machine-"

"I can't just sit here while my family might be in danger."

He sighed again and pulled away, pushing Rose's hair behind her ears and placing his hands on either side of her face. "I know, Rose, and that's one of the many things I love about you." He gave her another quick peck on her lips and then took her hand in his, leading her up a set of steps to the surface. Two towels were waiting on a long lounge chair and the Doctor picked one up and tossed it at her.

Rose began to dry herself off while watching the Doctor. He ruffled the towel over his hair first, and then proceeded to dry himself off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and looked up at Rose, who draped her towel over her chest and took the Doctor's outstretched hand.

"Sorry for getting your clothes wet," the Doctor said as they exited the room.

Rose smiled at his uncharacteristic consideration. "'S okay. I needed a bit of waking up." She squeezed his hand as they entered the console room. "I'm going to shower and change, be back in a few minutes."

"Same here." But he held on to her hand and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Which suit should I wear?"

She took a good look at him, his hair all in a disarray and his pale skin practically glowing in the light of the TARDIS. His grin was huge, exposing his perfect teeth, and distracting Rose for a few seconds.

"The blue one," she finally decided.

"Classic," he said approvingly.


	3. Chapter 2

Somewhere around half an hour later, Rose strode into the console room with dry clothes. She was greeted with the sight of the Doctor sitting in the console chair and poking at an object in his hands. With a smile she approached him, unable to help noticing that his blue suit was beginning to wear and fray in places. Though the TARDIS did provide nice clothes, maybe she would have to drag him shopping some time...

"There we are," the Doctor cooed as he stroked the item. "That's it."

"Are you ready to go?" asked Rose, wondering what new toy he had to play with now.

"Remember this?" Completely ignoring her question, he solemnly held up a small watch-like object, though the screen had strange letters flashing across it.

A memory popped into Rose's head of the Khals, one of their tentacles wrapped around her throat as it simultaneously suffocated and electrocuted her. She absentmindedly rubbed her throat where she used to have a large burn. "Yeah, I remember," she said quietly.

"Remember how I nicked this off of one of them? Well, it turns out that it doesn't only show the location of others of its kind or electrocute people. It stores information."

Rose sat beside him and looked down at the screen, but she still couldn't read whatever language it was written in, though it seemed familiar. "Why can't I read that?"

His expression hardened. "It's Gallifreyan."

"What?"

"Gallifreyan. The language of the time lords. The written language is so ancient it doesn't translate."

Rose tried to look at him to convey her surprise, but he only had eyes for the watch. "But why would the Khals-"

"I don't know. That's what I want to find out."

Rose bit her lip. Would he be so consumed with this now that he would forget all about the Vespiform Queen and their mission to find her?

"That doesn't matter now," the Doctor said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I was just looking up information about the Vespiform planet. It's called Vesporia, _very_ original. The air has too much carbon dioxide for a human body so we'll have to take..." he trailed off.

Rose shook his shoulder. "What is it, Doctor?"

"...precautions," he finished without hardly moving his lips. "The Vespiforms won't think of that." He leapt up out of the chair and went to action, working like a blur across the console. "I can only estimate what time they would land there, but we have to get there before they do."

Rose jumped up beside him as she realized what he meant. "What will happen to my family if we don't get there in time, Doctor?"  
He hesitated. "With the high amount of carbon dioxide in the air...they would suffocate within a few minutes of stepping onto the planet."


	4. Chapter 3

In the matter of a second, Rose's mind become one big, jumbled, worry mess. It didn't matter that they were in a time machine and could get anywhere at any time. This was _her family, _and they were in danger_._ "So can't we just-" She tried to use hand motions to describe what she was thinking. "-land on the ship?"

"It would take about half an hour to calibrate, and I don't think you want to wait that long. Now if we could reach them while they were stationary..." He flipped a switch on the console and then looked sharply at Rose.

"Time."

It took her a moment to understand what he was asking. She fumbled with her phone as she pulled it out of her shorts pocket, but finally managed to press the button that lit up the screen.

"Ten eighteen."

"What time did we leave them on the ship?"

Rose thought hard through all the events of yesterday. But before she could think of a time, something else popped into her head. "The memory filters!" she blurted out.

The Doctor was still staring at her with an intense gaze. "Took care of it. I need a _time." _

She decided to ask him about that later and concentrated on times again. "Eleven thirty. I went to bed." She caught herself. "But that's London time, so in Florida time it would be...six thirty?"

He cracked a smile. "That's my Rose." Then he turned back to the console, all business. "I went back to install the memory filters at seven, took me about twenty minutes, so if we go at seven twenty-five we should catch them right before they leave." He pressed one more button on the controls and they were off.

Rose's pounding heart finally slowed down. Her family was going to be fine. She and the Doctor would get there and warn them, it was all going to be okay.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked, facing her once more.

"Yeah, just...worried." She leaned forward until she was in his arms, her head on his shoulder. "I don't like them being involved. When it's just us, fine. But with my mum, dad, and Tony..."

"I know." He rubbed her back in a soothing rhythm. "I won't let anything happen to them. I promise."

She squeezed him in a grateful hug and kissed his cheek. The TARDIS announced its landing as Rose pulled away from the Doctor.

"Ready for another adventure?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

Despite her fears, she smiled in response. "Always."


	5. Chapter 5

"Alone at last," the Doctor sighed, taking Rose's hand in his as soon as they had walked through the door.

"Surrounded by aliens?" Rose confirmed with a smile, squeezing his hand.

He grinned back at her. "More alone than we are with your mum."

Rose shook her head, though she couldn't help but continue to smile. "When are you ever going to stop having a row with her every time you look a her?"

"When she stops doing it to me." He looked over at her and winked, eliciting a chuckle from both of them. "But you know we're all right, me and your mum."

Rose glanced at his expression but he was staring straight ahead, navigating them through the ship's hallways. "What do you mean?"

"I care about her, and Pete and Tony. I…" His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with his swallow. "Anyway, I'll take care of you. All of you." He scratched the back of his head absently, nodding to one of the Vespiforms as they walked by.

Rose knew the Doctor's body language to mean that he was uncomfortable. She wondered if he was still concerned about her worries for her family and trying to comfort her, but his manner wasn't right. "What is it, Doctor?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but just then a Vespiform came around the corner and skidded to a stop just in time to avoid collision with Rose.

"My apologies!" The alien's reptile-like purple skin furrowed together where eyebrows would be, and his eight eyes widened. "Forgive me, I-I didn't see you-"

"No harm done," the Doctor assured, reaching out his free hand to steady the stammering Vespiform. "I'm the Doctor. This is Rose, daughter of the Queen."

The alien's expression remained unchanged. "Of course. My name is Skrikdor. I have been sent to be of service to anyone in the party of the Queen, so if you have need of anything, you may ask me."

"Ah, is that so?" He glanced down at Rose and raised his eyebrows, silently asking for permission. She nodded, assenting to whatever he wanted Skrikdor for, and he continued. "Well, I have a feeling the Queen might not need you right now, but I think there is a way you can help me."

Skrikdor bowed his head. "Whatever you wish, Doctor."

"I want to know about you. Your race, your planet, any details you can tell me."

"Of course. Shall I take you to a lab so I may show you some facts about our biology?"

The Doctor broke into a huge, boyish grin. "That would be brilliant!"

Skrikdor seemed incapable of smiling, for his mouth stayed in a hard line. "If you will follow me."

"I couldn't pass up the chance," the Doctor murmured as they followed the Vespiform down the hallway.

Rose chuckled silently. "I know, Doctor. It's okay, I'm curious too."

Skrikdor paused at a door labeled "Lab 1." He gestured for them to step through, and Rose steeled herself as she gazed at the solid white wall, outlined in black like a door. She had walked through several of these "doors" by now, but she hated the suffocating feeling it gave her, even if it was only for a second.

The Doctor walked through first, letting go of her hand and stepping forward like it was nothing. Rose sighed and held her breath, walking into the wall. It rippled around her, allowing her to go through, but she could feel pressure on all sides pushing down on her body.

Rose came out on the other side with a gasp, shaking her head to dispel the feeling. The room was white, like the rest of the ship, and there was a large piece of glass about the length of her body on the wall. Another smaller glass panel was attached vertically to the wall, and other than that there was nothing else in the room.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked, his hands deep in the pockets of his trench coat.

"Yeah, just don't like the doors."

Skrikdor seemed to materialize from the wall, his two pairs of arms folded. He reached out and touched the small glass panel, which glowed red and then showed a keypad on its surface.

"That's some sort of tablet, then?" the Doctor asked from behind Rose.

"Yes. They are very useful to us and come in all sizes. You have some things similar to them on Earth." With another tap of Skrikdor's finger, the bigger glass panel shifted from horizontal to vertical, and the outline of a Vespiform showed on it.

"Very well," Skrikdor said, clasping all his hands together, "shall we begin?"


	6. Chapter 6

The view was breathtaking.

From her view on a raised landing platform, Rose could look over the capital city of the planet Vesporia under an orange-tinted sky. It was almost like London, with many large, spiraling towers and skyscrapers, only it was several times bigger. It spread for miles upon miles, further than she could see in any direction.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She jumped at the Doctor's voice beside her, having been caught up in the sight. His hands were hidden inside his trench coat pockets as his eyes swept over the dazzling silver city.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, matching his volume of reverence. "I know I've said it before, but I'll never get used to seein' things like this."

The Doctor flashed a grin. "That's good, because it means I won't either." He reached out his hand to hold hers and pulled her to his side.

"Commander!"

The Doctor and Rose both spun around at the new voice, breaking their grip on each other. A Vespiform, wearing a black suit instead of white like the rest of them, marched across the landing platform to where the Commander stood in front of Jackie, Pete, and Tony. However, his eyes were on the Doctor and Rose.

"I allow you to bring humans to this planet, and you allow them to break our laws?"

The Commander followed the Vespiform's gaze. Rose looked down at her jeans and blouse, wondering if her clothing was somehow inappropriate.

"Forgive me, Supreme Chancellor," he said, taking a step back and suddenly seeming much smaller. "I did not see. I will be sure to inform them of our customs so that no further-"

"Yes, you will see to it, and you will also see to remembering that I am no longer Supreme Chancellor, just as you are no longer Commander in Chief." The Chancellor looked past him. "Where is our Queen, Sergeant?"  
"Right here, sir," he said, gesturing to Jackie. "She seems to be incapable of switching back to her true form."

"My Queen." The Chancellor's voice immediately became reverent as he bowed to Jackie. "I have had word that your memory has been impaired, so I will try to refresh it as much as I can. I am your Commander in Chief, who does your bidding and sends orders to all the Vespiforms."

Jackie smiled, probably realizing that she liked the idea of someone who would do anything she wanted. "Thank you, Commander," she said, putting on the kind manner she used at charity balls, benefits, and the like.

The newly demoted Commander in Chief looked over Pete and Tony with a critical gaze. "Sergeant, show the humans their chambers." He turned to Jackie. "Your Majesty, would you like to see yours as well?"

"Yes I would, thank you."

The Doctor looked down at Rose with a raised eyebrow. "What happened to your mum?" he murmured.

Rose smiled smugly up at him. "She knows how to adapt."

He nodded. "Well I can see that. I thought she'd have them fighting a civil war by now."

Rose huffed and elbowed him in the ribs, walking across the landing platform to join her family as they followed the Sergeant. The Doctor followed her, walking right by her side as they entered one of the shorter buildings in the city, leaving the Commander out on the platform. The party walked straight into an elevator, and all was quiet as it gently descended.

A quiet sniff sounded, and Rose looked down to see Tony wiping the sleeves of his shirt over his eyes. "Oh, dear," she mumbled as she reached down to take him in her arms and pick him up. He normally would squirm until she put him down, but instead he leaned his head on Rose's shoulder and clung to her like a lifeline.

"'S gonna be all right," she whispered. Jackie's head turned, and her eyes widened at the sight of Tony.

Rose tried to communicate with her eyes that she had it under control. Jackie nodded and turned to face the door of the elevator, flanked on one side by the Sergeant.

"Me and the Doctor have done this loads of times. Remember all the stories?"

The boy nodded his head.

"And this time, we're special. They're not going to try to hurt us because Mum is their Queen." Rose looked next to her at the Doctor, who was staring at her with a strange expression.

"You're turn," she muttered, knowing that if anyone could cheer Tony up, it would be the Doctor.

He put on his best, most charming smile. "We'll get you home soon enough, Tony." He ruffled his hair. "But first we need to do some adventuring. Are you up for that?"

A small smile peeked through Tony's expression. He nodded.

"Good. 'Cause we're gonna need your help."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So sorry for lack of updates, everyone. The story is just starting to pick up, and I will now be updating regularly. Please review, follow, and favorite! :)**

The elevator came to slow stop, and a moment later the doors opened to reveal a long, silver hallway. Tony squirmed and Rose put him down, trying not to think about how fast he was growing up and how she used to hold him when she couldn't sleep…

"Hm. Nice construction," the Doctor commented at her side, freeing her from her thoughts.

Rose looked around at the pale, monotone silver which covered every inch of the hallway, even the floor. "Think I know what their favorite color is."

"They're a hive. They get orders and get them done. Doesn't matter how pretty it looks. Very productive, that's why their technology is so advanced. But it lacks creativity." He tutted and shook his head. "Why can there never be a good middle?"

"'Cause that's not how it works, mate," Pete added in, stopping as Jackie and the Vespiforms stopped ahead of him.

"These four rooms are for the humans," the Sergeant said, gesturing toward four equally spaced apart doors, much like the ones in the TARDIS.

Rose tried to catch her Mum's expression. She had expected her to handle everything fine up until this point, but separating Tony and Pete from her she thought for sure would be enough to make her step out of character.

Apparently not, or maybe she was secretly glad to have a Queen's chambers all to herself. All Jackie did was nod and shoot a look at Pete that said, "Tony is not getting his own room."

"The Queen's chambers are at the end of the hallway, but they have not been made fully suitable for your use yet."

"Still cleaning?" the Doctor asked.

The Sergeant fidgeted. "Yes, in fact. We had our best investigators trying to figure out how the Queen was captured, so the room was kept in its original condition for some time. However-"

"Is it still in that condition?"

"Well…yes. The cleaning crew should be here any minute." He cleared his throat in an uncomfortable way.

The Doctor nudged Rose. "We need to get in there," he muttered as the Sergeant said a few more things, something about tradition and customs.

"Find out how the Queen was kidnapped?"

He nodded. "From what I gather, her bedchamber was the last place she was known to be in. Looks like there are two guards outside at all times."

Rose followed his gaze down the hallway and saw two forms standing resolute in front of a large door. "Wouldn't the investigation team have found something?"

The Doctor gave her a look that said "Honestly, Rose?" But what came out of his mouth was, "I'm worth a hundred investigation teams."

"Always said you were humble."

He rolled his eyes but cracked a smile, training his eyes on the Sergeant once more. "I can lead you on a tour of the city now, if you like," the solemn Vespiform concluded.

"I'd like t' stretch my legs after bein' in that ship for hours," Jackie chimed in first.

"I'd agree with that," said Pete, looking back and raising his eyebrows at Rose.

"Yeah I'll go…but is there a loo I could use first?"

"Your room is equipped with a fully functional human restroom. Fortunately two humans visited us not too long ago, so we already had some prepared."

The Doctor's head shot up at this, but he must have decided it wasn't the best time to ask or comment. "I'll wait for Rose. We'll catch up." He gave Pete a meaningful look, and the director of Torchwood nodded minutely.

"Be out in a mo," she told the Doctor before claiming the first bedroom as her own. She closed the door behind her, not even glancing at the room, and listened. She waited until the Sergeant's voice had died down before opening the door.

The Doctor walked straight in, closing the door behind him. As he walked a few steps into the room lights flickered on automatically, coming from the walls and the ceiling. The room was revealed to be very spacious, furnished with a King's size bed, three couches, and a lush red carpet to match.

"There are perks to knowing royalty," the Doctor said as he ran a few steps and jumped straight onto the bed. He laughed as he spread out his arms and legs, bouncing into the air.

Rose crossed her arms and tried to look cross. "You know, that is _my _bed your gettin' your shoes all over."

"Fine." He pulled his shoes off and threw them at her. She deflected the blows and giggled as he proceeded to stand up and jump up and down, flinging the pillows all over.

"Anyone else would think you're a kid."

"Who said I wasn't? Everyone's a kid somewhere inside." He grinned at her, laughed one more time, and then collapsed onto the bed with sigh.

Rose smiled at him. "You got that out of you, then?"

"Yep. Time to go solve a kidnapping." He threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Toss me my trainers."

Rose picked them up and held them in front of her. "Not until you make the bed."

The Doctor looked at her incredulously. "Investigation. Right down the hallway. Cleaning crew coming any minute."

"Better do it fast, then."

He sighed and picked up a single pillow from the ground. Then, in a lightning fast move he threw it at her face, and in the moment she was stunned the trainers were gone from her grip.

"Oi! Not fair!" She smacked him across the face with the pillow.

The Doctor looked aghast for a moment before raising one eyebrow. "Rose, you really don't want to do this now."

"What, this?" She hit his arm but he snatched the pillow from her grasp and bopped her on the head with it. He looked at her seriously.

"Investigation. _Now." _


	8. Chapter 8

Rose poked her head out of the doorway and looked down the hall to see the guards standing in the same place they had been before. "How are we gonna do this?"

"The usual way." The Doctor came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. "Approach them and ask politely." He stared for another minute and then pulled her out into the hallway. "Allons-y!"

Rose had a feeling the guards were eyeing them as they approached, though she couldn't tell for sure because of the visors over their faces.

"Hello there!" The Doctor said cheerily as they reached the door to the Queen's chambers. "You see, we're friends with the Queen and she's sent us to take a look in her room and make sure everything's ship-shape."

The Vespiforms didn't move. "We are to let no one in but the cleaning crew," the left guard said in a monotone voice, his four hands clenching into fists

"Oh, but we were sent from the _Queen. _Doesn't she give the orders around here?"

"We have not received orders," the other said.

The Doctor buzzed his lips. "Clever. The guards have to get direct orders." He addressed the Vespiforms once more. "We're investigating. Trying to figure out who kidnapped the Queen and why."

"May I see your credentials?" The left guard held out his hand.

The Doctor reached into all of his pockets, but came up empty. "A bit of psychic paper would come in handy right about now," he mumbled. "Ah, well," he continued, louder. "Must have left them on the ship. But I'm the Doctor and this is Rose-"

"The Doctor?" The Vespiforms spoke at the same time and relaxed.

The Doctor grinned. "Yep, that's me!"

The left guard pressed a button on his white suit and a low humming ensued. He turned his head and spoke to the other guard. "Half-alien nature is confirmed. This is the Doctor."

"We are to give the Doctor full access," the other guard quoted. Rose guessed it must have been an order, but who would have told them that?

"You may enter." They stepped to the side and nodded their heads to the Doctor.

"That's more like it!" He strode between them, standing tall like he was the most important thing in the universe. Rose followed him into the Queen's chambers, almost bumping into him as he paused just in front of the door that slid shut behind them.

It took a few seconds for Rose's eyes to adjust. It was completely dark, and she guessed that they hadn't walked far enough inside to trigger the automatic lights. She sniffed, the stuffy air already beginning to irritate her nose.

"Doctor?" she asked when he didn't move after a minute.

He spun quickly and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Why did they let me in?" His eyes were wild and alight with intensity.

She was caught off guard by his sudden change in emotion. "Dunno, just following orders?"

"Exactly." He shook her gently. "Who would have given the order to let me in anywhere? The Commander definitely didn't trust me, and I never knew the real Queen. Jackie doesn't have the technology to give orders yet, and I hope for the Vespiforms' sake she never will…" His eyes grew wide. "Unless I've been here before."

His intense gaze made it extremely hard to concentrate. "In the future, yeah?"

He turned away from her and walked further into the room. The lights came on, illuminating a bedroom as big as a ballroom. The bed itself was bigger than a King's size and had red curtains draped on either side of it. A huge scarlet rug dominated the metal floor, cut so that it fit around the furniture in the room.

"If I was already here, what would I be here for? To stop the kidnapping? To help it?"

The Doctor's ramblings broke Rose out of her thoughts. She focused on him pacing back and forth. "Why would you help kidnap the Queen?"

He threw his hands out in a helpless gesture. "No idea!"

"But if you've already been here, wouldn't the Commander or the Sergeant have recognized you?"

"Not if I was careful." He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up and jut out wildly. "If I had already come here and not been recognized, in the future I could have used a disguise or stayed unnoticed. I could've done anything." He halted his steps and looked at her. "Does it seem strange to you that two humans were just here?"

She remembered how he reacted at the statement, but he didn't give her a chance to respond.

"Two humans show up just before the kidnapping, and I get the impression that humans usually don't come here." He raised his eyebrows at her.

Rose finally got what he was implying. "You think it was us?"

He held here gaze for a few seconds longer and then sighed, beginning to pace again. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" He grabbed at his hair. "Not enough facts!"

She hadn't seen him this flustered in a while, maybe even not since before he left. He was beginning to act more and more like the Doctor she knew.

"Aren't we here to get facts?" Rose asked, taking a step forward to block him in his path.

He came to a stop right in front of her and nodded slowly. "Right you are, Rose Tyler." But by the look in his eyes, Rose could see that it was still troubling him and he was still trying to work it out in the back of his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey ya'll! I'm not getting much response from this story so please let me know what you think. :) I know it hasn't quite picked up yet but it's a comin'! **

The Doctor went straight into action. "Now, we're looking for evidence, anything that might be out of place, even just the tiniest bit. Could be a busted clock, open jewelry box, footprint…"

Rose's keen eyes searched the room in one wide swoop while the Doctor rambled on. This was all starting to become much more familiar now; solving mysteries and stopping aliens.

The buzzing of the sonic screwdriver interrupted Rose's thoughts. She looked over to see the Doctor turning the head of the sonic screwdriver, turning it on, and waving it in every direction.

"Oooh…" he murmured as he paused in the direction of the bed. He stepped forward slowly, the sonic sounding more high-pitched with each step the Doctor took.

"Whatcha got?" asked Rose, following right behind him.

"Shhh shhh shhh!" He tiptoed forward until the sound of the sonic grew almost unbearable.

Reaching out, the Doctor plucked something invisible from on top of the made bed. He shut off the sonic and pocketed it, staring at whatever he had between his fingertips.

Rose leaned forward, squinting. "What is it?"

He turned his hand so that the light hit it right, and Rose could see a single strand of short, straight, brown hair in the Doctor's grasp.

"This is good!" He grinned, staring at the hair. "Oh, this is very good! They were careful, the kidnappers, but not careful enough." He turned the strand in the light. "Just left one tiny thing behind."

"Is that human hair?"

"Don't know. Plenty of hair looks like it's human. We'll have to go back to the TARDIS and scan it." He carefully slipped the hair into his jacket pocket and spun in a full circle. "Right. Any more evidence? Clues? Anything?"

"I'll look." Rose started on one side of the room and the Doctor started on the other, scouring anything and everything. However, there wasn't much to look through. The furniture was minimal, and there weren't keepsakes of any kind. The room looked as if it was meant for a guest rather than someone who lived there every day.

"Queen didn't have much stuff, did she?" Rose asked as she put all the pillows back as they had been on the bed. "I guess the Vespiforms are all very…basic."

"Practical," the Doctor sighed, setting a corner of the rug back on the floor. "Practical is the right word. They're not creative, not sentimental, just practical."

Rose sat down on the edge of the bed, watching as the Doctor outlined the rug with his sonic. "Makes everything a bit dull, doesn't it?"

"Well, for a human, yeah." He squinted at the floor, and Rose made a mental note that she needed to get him glasses like he had in the other universe. "Oh yes, they were very good," he mumbled to himself. He ran a hand through his hair and buzzed his lips as he put away the sonic screwdriver once more.

Rose smiled at him, realizing then just how much she had missed this and wondering why she could have ever driven him away. This was the Doctor, the man who saved whole planets and civilizations and by some miracle chose her to come with him.

It was in that moment Rose finally knew that this was where she was meant to be. Wherever the Doctor was, it was home. This was the same man she had run away with all those years ago, just half-human especially for her. _Her _Doctor.

"What are you doing that for?"

Rose's smile grew at her sudden revelation but she looked all around her, wondering what the Doctor meant. "Doing what?"

He strode across the room to stand in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed as he held out his hand to her. "Smiling. It's really distracting when I'm trying to solve a kidnapping."

Rose raised her eyebrows at him and grinned wider than ever. "Then stop lookin'." She placed her hand in his.

"Not as easy as it sounds, you know." He tightened his grip on her and pulled her off of the bed. "Anyone could see your smile from-"

But he stopped talking as Rose wrapped her arms around him. It was all she had wanted to do after her earlier reflection on how perfect this life was.

"All right, then…" He slowly returned the embrace. "Did I do something right?"

Rose retreated and held onto his arms, which were still around her waist. She shook her head a little, focusing on his tie rather than his face. "I was just thinkin' about you, and I…" His eyes were soft and curious when she met his gaze. "I'm glad I'm here with you."

He grinned that beautiful, disarming smile that would melt anyone's heart. Leaning his head forward, he tapped her nose with his finger. "The feeling is mutual, Rose Tyler." He looked at her for a few more seconds, just gazing at her in something like wonder. "But there's time for that," he said finally, sliding his hand into hers. "Right now we have to find ourselves a kidnapper." He pulled her toward the door, but it opened of its own accord when they were still several steps away.

Three Vespiforms walked into the room carrying various objects of what Rose assumed was cleaning supplies. Their visors were down, and the leader had an angry look in his eyes.

"What did you do to bewitch my guards?"


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor raised his hands in the air innocently. "You know, too many people point fingers before they know all the facts. Your guards _let _us in here."

"I know!" The one who seemed to be the leader spoke in a gruff, angry voice. "I demand to know how you made them listen to your order."

"Wasn't my order." The Doctor shrugged. "I told them my name and they let me in."

The Vespiform reached forward with two of his arms and grabbed the Doctor's wrist, yanking him forward so that the Doctor's nose was inches from his visor. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Well…yes." Still perfectly at ease, the Doctor gestured with his free arm back at Rose. "See, she's the Queen's daughter, and I don't think the Queen would be very happy to know that her daughter has been yelled at by the head of the cleaning crew, do you?"

An aggravated sigh sounded from inside the visor, and the Vespiform let go of the Doctor. He brushed off his sleeve, smiling. "Thank you. Now off you pop, get your cleaning done and all that." He sidestepped the other two Vespiforms and walked out into the hallway. The leader's gaze followed him, and Rose imagined a hard glare behind the visor.

Rose followed the Doctor, but paused in front of the leader. "You heard 'im. Better get it done before the Queen gets back."

All four of the Vespiform's hands clenched into fists, but he nodded curtly and stepped further into the room. Rose went out the door and joined the Doctor in the hallway, finally letting a huge grin break through. She looked up at the Doctor to find that his expression was dark, a deep frown set on his face.

"Doctor?" Her smile faded.

"I'm getting a feeling," was all he said, beginning to take long strides down the hallway.

His vague explanation was just as troubling as his expression. "What sort of feeling?"

"The Aztecs," he murmured, as if he was talking to himself more than to her.

"The Aztecs?" Old history lessons pushed themselves to the front of Rose's mind. "Like…sacrifices and gods? Those Aztecs?"

"Those Aztecs."

They reached the elevator and Rose stared blankly at the unfamiliar panel of controls on the wall. The Doctor promptly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the panel. The elevator opened up, and the Doctor strode in without a word. Rose followed, wondering about his dampened mood. She grabbed his hand as the door closed and was relieved to feel him gently squeeze back in response.

"I traveled to the Aztec empire once. A long, long time ago." His mouth twitched upward at one corner. "They thought one of my companions was a goddess. Well, the leader did, anyway. The high priest knew she was a fake, and because of that all four of us were almost killed."

Rose digested the information, running it through her head. "So you think…you think that's happening to us with my Mum?"

"Oh, no." He looked down at her, his brown eyes hardening. "I know. Did you see how the Commander in Chief reacted to us? And then how the head of the cleaning crew was acting, even after he knew who you were? It's just like the Aztecs. And that means we're all in danger."


	11. Chapter 11

"What do we do?" Rose asked. He had to have some sort of plan, especially since he been through this before.

"Nothing."

She looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." He met her gaze with raised eyebrows. "Absolutely, positively, nothing. We blend in, do as we're told, and _don't…" _He broke out into a grin, his dismal mood seeming to be completely gone. "…get into trouble."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's a change, isn't it?"

"This is a very delicate situation, Rose. If they find out that Jackie's a fake, they'll kill us. We need to find the real Queen before they suspect anything. The Commander in Chief is already going to cause trouble, I can tell. We'll all keep together."

"And what's gonna happen to us when we find the real Queen and they know my mum was a fake?"

"Let's hope the Queen will be so grateful that we saved her that she'll pardon us. If not…well, I'm still working on that one."

Rose stared at the elevator doors, worry starting to creep back into her mind. Having her family involved with her adventures with the Doctor was something she had always feared. She didn't mind imminent danger at every turn, but when it was her family being threatened…that was different.

Leaning her head on the Doctor's shoulder, Rose sighed. The Doctor pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"I'll keep them safe," he mumbled into her hair. He pressed her hand. "I promise."

Rose smiled, knowing that he would keep his promise no matter what. "I love you, Doctor."

He chuckled, then murmured, "Quite right, too."

Rose shook her head. The words pulled her mind back to that dreaded beach on the worst day of her life. They reminded her of that mad man who was traveling across the stars in a universe she would never see again. And though she would never admit it to herself, she knew she still missed him. And she probably always would.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Rose, you know I was only-"

"Yeah, I know." Rose pulled away from him to look him in the eye. "But you're not him, so don't say it." She rested her free hand on his cheek. "You're my Doctor."

The elevator doors opened with a ding, making Rose jump. The Doctor sighed and pulled her out the doors and onto landing platform they had just been on not long ago. On the opposite side from the elevator, right next to the Vespiform ship, was the TARDIS, right where they had left it.

They walked straight to the TARDIS, still holding hands, though Rose could sense that the Doctor's mood had changed again. He sighed again as he pushed open the blue doors, sounding relieved to be back in his ship. He led Rose straight to the console and released her hand, burying his hands in his trench coat pockets. His eyes bored into hers, hard and troubled.

"This was what I was afraid of." His brow knitted together in concentration. "I just- I can't-" He groaned in frustration. "I'm not good enough for you, Rose," he finally confessed, coming a step closer to her. "I don't know how to do this." He motioned in between them, his eyes wide and earnest.

Rose was stunned for a moment. He had never told her any of this, but by the desperation in his eyes she knew it must have been torturing him. "Doctor…" She reached out and grabbed his arm.

"I've never been a boyfriend before, certainly not a _human's_ boyfriend, and I-"

Rose knew he wouldn't listen to her until she had his full attention, so she bounced up on her toes and kissed him. The Doctor stood frozen until she pulled away. "But-"

She kissed him again, this time feeling him relax against her and wrap an arm around her waist. "Doctor," Rose said, only pulling away an inch.

"Hm?" he hummed, his gaze softer.

Rose threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled. "Just because you said one thing doesn't mean you've failed as a boyfriend. You can't be perfect."

He matched her smile. "I can try."

"You're perfect enough for me." Rose hugged him. "I don't want you to be human; I want you to be you."

The Doctor held her tight for a few more seconds before pulling away, his hands still on her waist.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"A bit." He pulled her close to him again and met her lips with his. "But I'm still not convinced I'll ever deserve you, Rose Tyler," he murmured as he pulled away.

Rose chuckled, reflecting on how often she thought the same thing about him. "Well I don't think I could ever deserve you either, so I guess we're even."

The Doctor smiled at her, but there was a sadness in his eyes.

"What?"

"I wish I could stay here with you and not have to worry about anything else." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the single hair left behind by the kidnappers. "But I know I can't." He turned to the console and placed the hair on a little silver square among the controls.

"Maybe after this is over, we can take a day off. Just…have a day for ourselves."

He turned to her with one eyebrow raised. "Is that a promise?"

Rose smiled wide. "You bet."

The Doctor grinned and focused his attention back on the console. He glanced up at the screen, his eyes narrowing at the strings of Gallifreyan symbols popping up. Suddenly he gripped the screen with both his hands, bringing his face inches from it. "It can't be," he whispered, his lips hardly moving.

"What is it?" Rose gripped his shoulders from behind and looked at the screen, though she couldn't even begin to understand what the readings were.

The Doctor snatched the hair from the console and looked between it and the console screen. "The hair. It's from a female…" He swallowed hard. "Half time lord, half human." He spun on his toes to face Rose, a grin on his face as he stared at the single strand of hair. "There's someone else like me."


End file.
